Washington to Examine National Park Funding

The Bipartisan Policy Center will kick off its 2013 Bridge-Builder Breakfast series March 19 in Washington, D.C., with a discussion on the challenges and opportunities facing the funding of America’s national parks.

National parks have a special place in American life and culture, yet the erosion of park funding threatens the future of this beloved American institution, according to a news release announcing the meeting. The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) and the National Park Hospitality Association (NPHA) will launch a national dialogue that day to identify additional non-appropriated funding strategies that can generate bipartisan support for America’s treasured national parks.

Derrick Crandall, a counselor for the NPHA and president of the American Recreation Coalition (ARC), stated in tandem with the news release, “Sequestration is definitely going to be impacting visitors to national parks this summer – and for years to come, as federal budget pressures will make ‘business as usual,’ including reliance on appropriations for virtually all funding a dangerous strategy.”

The blue ribbon body has enlisted the thinking and experiences of a stellar group, including former Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, former New Jersey Gov. Christie Todd Whitman, former members of congress Norm Dicks and Jim Oberstar and U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks.